A Day at Auschwitz

Yesterday I got up and had some breakfast and prepared myself for a day at Auschwitz, though how anyone can be fully prepared I'm unsure. I was curious if this time would be different since I had been here 4 years before. For Auschwitz I you have to be escorted through the camp by a guide, so I joined in a group of about 10-12 other "individual" visitors and was very impressed with our guide. She was not only knowledgeable, but you could tell she truly understood the weight of her task, and the importance of what she was showing us.

One of my favorite things she said was right at the beginning, she said "This is not a tour, or a guided museum, this is truly a pilgrimage." This not only set the tone for the rest of her tour of the first camp, but it also gave me a lot to think about. Many people have asked me why I would come back to Auschwitz since I was just here, what was the value in it? I think this is the answer. In some ways I came to learn, but in another way it truly is a pilgrimage. With what I study, and what I do for a living, how could I not come and pay my respects and remind myself why I do the work I do?

Following the tour of Auschwitz I, we had a break and needed to meet the guide at a bus at 12:30. After a quick bite to eat for lunch I went to the bus only to find out they had left early, thinking they had everyone! So it wasn't a problem, the hotel I'm staying at was across the street, so I grabbed the car and drove to Auschwitz II and gave myself the tour. Auschwitz II is 17x the size of Auschwitz one, it is so big that words cannot adequately describe it.  It looks like there is quite a bit of preservation work currently underway, which is good that they are doing it, but some buildings previously available were now closed.

After several hours in Auschwitz II it was time to say goodbye to, as the guide said, "the world's largest graveyard." I went back to the hotel and relaxed, and then out to dinner. After dinner I looked up the Auschwitz Jewish Center and realized it was only about 2 minutes away if I walked. This is the center that has generously offered to be the proxy for all of the Polish survivors that would like to apply for the Polish Pension, which previously you couldn't get if you lived outside of Poland. It is cook, but a little surreal, to stand outside of this building that has a direct connection with the work I'm currently doing at JFS.

Today I will pack up and head towards Lublin. I'll stop at Krakow, Plaszow, Belzec, and Majdanek and then spend the night at a hotel in Lublin.

Germany to Poland

Hallo und guten Abend alle miteinander,

Yesterday I took a short trip to another fairy tale town. I went to Bad Wildungen to see the place that inspired the story of Snow White. It was Monday so museums were closed, but we went anyway and saw the Snow White house and the mining museum. We also stopped and saw a series of statues for the story. Then we stopped into one small shop that was open with rocks of different types from different mines, some from the mine started by the woman who founded the mine and was later poisoned, thus forming the tale of Snow White. They had lots of cool stones and I of course couldn't resist buying some. After that I went back to my friend's house in Schwalmstadt to relax, do laundry, and pack before I left.

This morning I hit the road and drove all the way to Oświęcim. In the morning I'll take a day long tour of both of the Auschwitz camps. It is a little surreal to stay at not only the same hotel from 4 years ago when I was here, but to stay in a hotel directly across the street from Auschwitz I. 

A German Whirlwind

Hello to everyone from Germany! I have been very busy and my first few days had very bad wifi connection, so I couldn't post pictures or blog. I was also incredibly tired.

My first day was very busy, the flights were delayed and they switched my flight, however, my luggage did not change with me, so I June 1st, arrived June 2nd, and my luggage was apparently left in Newark, NJ. The wonderful Christiane came and picked me up from the airport very early in the morning and we took the train to Giessen. The hotel room was not ready so early in the morning so we went out and had some breakfast and caught up as it has been 4 years since we last saw each other. By the time we were done the stores had opened and we went to find me clothes to wear for my lecture that was later in the afternoon. I found a dress shirt that fit, though the salesman was convinced that I should wear a tighter shirt as this is common in Germany. I wore jeans and a dress shirt, and felt very German ;-) Following some more shopping in Giessen we went back to the hotel and checked in. I took a two hour nap, my first two hours of sleep out of what would be a 36+ hour period of being awake. I then went to the university and gave my lecture. I think it was well attended and I feel that it went very well. I spent the first hour explaining how the Rwandan Genocide happened, the history before, during, and immediately after. Then I discussed my time in Rwanda last year within the context of how the genocide is memorialized in Rwanda. The group seemed to appreciate the lecture and they had many questions afterward. Following the lecture a group of students and faculty went out to a bar to have dinner and drinks to celebrate the victory. It was nice getting to interact with the students and faculty of Giessen.

The following day Christiane took me to see some of Giessen, which was very nice. Following a nice walk and a tour we went back to the university and ate lunch with the students, which was great. I enjoyed seeing more of their campus and what it is like for German college students. The students and staff were having a meeting so I took the bus back to the hotel to rest and pray my luggage arrives so I can feel clean again. My luggage was delivered finally at about 4:30pm. I immediately took a shower and changed into all clean clothes and felt more human immediately. In the evening Christiane picked me up at the hotel and I got to meet her boyfriend. We went to a traditional German restaurant and had one of my favorite meals, schnitzel! If you have not had it you really should, it is a divine experience.  Following dinner I sadly had to say goodbye to Christiane as she was leaving the next morning for Belgium for a much needed vacation. I then successfully went into the supermarket and bought some snacks, etc. as well as (in basic German) asked for still water. I was very proud of myself for doing this basic task completely alone. (It really is the little things!)

In the morning on the 4th, it was a holiday so restaurants were open, but stores were closed and I was all on my own! I met the main professor for the program of the university for coffee and we had a nice talk about the university and my plans for the future. He then had to go to an event so I began exploring. My previous trips have been with groups so it was a unique experience to figure out my own way around and I liked it quite a bit. I went for a 3 hour walk around Giessen just watching the people and seeing the city. I took many pictures of the city. I then had a snack of some delicious cake. I then decided to go to Frankfurt to see what there was to see. I got to see quite a bit including a church I was last at in 1995, pictured below, that has undergone some renovations since I last saw it. I also saw a camp near the airport that little was known about for years, but a memorial is now there and they have excavated one of the buildings. It primarily housed Hungarian women who were forced to build the first paved runway in Germany. After seeing the sites I returned to Frankfurt for dinner where I of course had more schnitzel, and may soon need to enter rehab to break my addiction.

On the 5th I got up early and packed, it was time to leave! I checked out of the hotel and successfully navigated my way to the train station, and then to buy a ticket to Schwalmstadt to see my friend and former host student Lisy where she now lives with her husband and baby. It was very nice to see her, the last time I saw her was 4 years ago. We have known each other from 2001 when my family hosted her and the following year when she hosted me. She picked me up at the train station and we went to the POW camp Stalag IX A Ziegenhain nearby. This camp is best known for one of its prisoners, Francois Mitterrand, who would later become the President of France. The museum was small, but well put together. We then travelled down the road to the site of the memorial for the Russian victims of the camp who were placed in mass graves, and only recently have their names been discovered and plaques to remember them have been placed. After going home for a rest we then went to the museum of the area that gave a wide variety of history from the local area and its customs. It was very interesting. I may have been here in high school, but it was good to return because I didn't remember it.

Yesterday we had a very special day. We went first to my friend's parents house and had lunch with them. My host mother made so much food! I had so much good German food I couldn't eat another bite... but then there was more, and more, and dessert. Once we had eaten we all went to Lisy's sister's house to see her as well as her newborn baby that was only 10 days old. It was nice to see her as well as her tiny little girl. It seems like yesterday we were all in high school!

Today was a travel day. Lisy and I went to Erfurt, about 2 hours by car, to see the sites. The first place we went was to the Topf & Sonne museum which opened a few years ago. This was the company that made the crematoria ovens and certain parts of the gas chambers used in the Nazi camp system. The museum sits inside of the original administration building and is very unique because it still has some original features, including pencil writing on one of the walls from one of the chief  engineers who was very passionate about improving the ovens used in the camps. I expected the museum to be very small, but it was pretty good sized and had a ton of information, much of which I had never heard. They had many documents that were taken from archives of the company that helped piece together the history. I think one of the most chilling pieces was that out of the window on the top floor where the main exhibition is you are directed to look out a window and in the distance (About 12 miles away) you can see Buchenwald concentration camp. So the engineers that designed the ovens for the camps could see one of the first camps they placed crematoria ovens in. It is also important to note that the company was not required to do this work, nor did it comprise the bulk of their revenue. It only made up about 2% of their revenue, and they could have stopped working for the SS at any time. However they continued their work, sometimes visiting camps to witness the killing and cremation in order to better understand what was needed of future models of ovens. This is very chilling because they did their work primarily because they wanted to show they could do it, and advance their work, not because of money or being required to do so.

Following the museum we had lunch, a delicious bratwurst, and then went and walked around the historic city. It was very pretty. We finished by seeing the Erfurt Cathedral which is massive and hard to put into words in terms of size. We had some coffee while sitting on the steps to the cathedral. Then back to Schwalmstadt for dinner and to relax.

My hope is to have good signal once I am in Poland so I can post about the camps I will be visiting during my travels. Tomorrow I will go see the village that the story of Snow White comes from.

P.S. Schwalmstadt is where Little Red Riding Hood comes from!

Until next time... Tschüss!

Presentations, Preparation, and Polish Pensions

Well another month has come and gone. As of today I am a VISTA for only 93 short days! Where has the time gone!? On Tuesday I gave my first booster training session at JFS, the topic was “After the War: Displaced Persons Camps, and the Fate of Soviet Jews.” I had a pretty good turnout, about 28 staff members in all. We were able to discuss what life was like in the months and years after World War II and the Holocaust. Additionally, we discussed what life was like for Jews in Russia during and after the Holocaust. My next booster is at the end of June and will address the Nazi death camp system.

While preparing for the lecture I have also been preparing for a big trip. I have been invited to give a lecture about the Rwandan Genocide at the University of Giessen in Germany. I will leave on Monday and arrive and give my lecture on Tuesday. After some days at the university I will visit my original host student and her family from high school. I will then go on a road trip with a friend to visit all of the Nazi death camps in Poland. I will be able to see a couple of sites I’ve visited before, and many others that I have never had the opportunity to visit. This will be a great experience for me to learn and see firsthand the sites of the Holocaust. I can then take this experience and knowledge back to JFS to inform the training I will be doing a few weeks later on the Nazi death camp system.

One of the big things JFS has been doing recently, and I have had the opportunity to assist in the organization of, has been setting up clinics to help Survivors to apply for a newly available Polish Pension. For those that were Polish citizens and were persecuted/ oppressed they may be eligible for a small pension each month. We have utilized volunteers to take down the important information needed to fill out the application as well as their story as that is required. We are also using donor funds to pay to have this information translated so we can then fill out the application and send them off to Poland. It is a great experience to not only assist in setting these up, but to be able to help survivors seek the restitution they deserve. 

During the "After the War" JFS Training

Town Halls, Teaching, and Teeth

Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I last posted, things have been very busy! So at the end of March I held my final town hall event for the children of Survivors to find out if they had any additional input in the needs of their parents, or others in the community. Overall, I think the event was a success. It allowed us to listen to the community, and also educate the children on the services we provide. As the parents age, it is important that we reach out to their children so they know what services JFS provides. With the conclusion of the town hall I have been able to officially finalize the needs assessment report.

In the meantime I was able to finalize, and send out, the first ever JFS Holocaust Survivor Newsletter. The newsletter keeps the Survivor community informed about happenings at JFS that are relevant to them. While many younger clients can check out our facebook page, or are on our eblast list, most survivors are not. This newsletter will allow them to know what restitution funds are available, what services we offer, and what JFS is doing to improve services for the Survivor community. I was able to mail out about 500 newsletters to our clients and distribute additional copies into the community.  We have had an overwhelming response from the community, with lots of calls coming in from Survivors asking about new programs that we have started at JFS. I am excited that we can engage on this level with the community, and possibly connect them to new programs and resources that can help them age in their homes.

The other big thing I’ve been working on for the last few months has been a large all staff training event. I’ve been developing an interactive and engaging presentation to educate the staff at JFS about the Holocaust in time for Yom HaShoah, which was a couple weeks ago. I have always been very passionate about Holocaust education, and was honored to be asked to speak with my colleagues about an event that had a huge impact on Jewish history, and really affects what we do here at JFS. The presentation went incredibly well and all of the technology cooperated. I was able to integrate pictures, videos, and live polling in the presentation to help make it more interactive and interesting. It is a fine line to walk in Holocaust education between making the content accessible and engaging without trivializing the history.

Since the lecture I’ve been hard at work. I’ve been coordinating a new pilot program in Metro-Detroit. The Alpha Omega Henry Schein Cares Holocaust Survivors Oral Health Program. The goal of the program is to help the most financially vulnerable in the Survivor community with the express goals of eliminating pain and restoring function.  So far I have been able to refer out about 8 Survivors who are receiving amazing care from many volunteer dentists in our community. Many people don’t think about the challenges associated with having oral health problems, but there are many and they can impact many parts of your life. Hopefully this program will allow those with the most need to live their lives with one less problem as they age. 

One last thing... today is my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!!

Outreach, Needs Assessment, and Education

Well it has been a whirlwind couple of weeks. I have been working on the staff training and I am very happy that JFS has decided to make the first in the series a mandatory training. It will take place just before Yom HaShoah and will start with a breakfast and I will present for about an hour and a half. Overall an hour and a half is not a lot of time to lecture about something as complex as the Holocaust, but I believe that it will allow the staff an opportunity to refresh their current knowledge, learn about new aspects, and possibly interest them in learning more. The plan is to provide optional “booster” trainings that will look at additional topics more in depth. The first couple of boosters will discuss topics that relate to our Survivor population, based on where many of them come from and experience that many of them had. The other boosters will be based on feedback from staff. I will survey the staff to see what topics they are interested in, and pick a couple of topics based on that feedback. In addition to offering training, I have also been working to offer continuing education credits for staff that need it. Having this foundation in place is good and will allow us to keep learning as a staff, and in the future we can then apply for CEUs for the community wide training we plan to create.

I am very excited to announce that we have finally set a date and time for our children of survivors town hall. This town hall will allow the children of survivors, who quite often are care providers for their parents, to discuss the needs of their parents, as well as an opportunity for them to find out about the services JFS provides. This town hall is the final step in my comprehensive needs assessment of the survivor community in Metro Detroit. Once this step is completed, I can finalize my report and present it to JFS and other organizations. I am very excited to hear from this group as they often have a different perspective on the needs, and are more willing to disclose the needs of their parents. It is often harder to ask for help for yourself, than it is to ask for help for someone else.

Finally, I attended the February Café Europa and had another amazing time. I ended up staying an hour past the end of the event to continue talking with an amazing survivor I met. She was imprisoned at Auschwitz and worked in the munitions factory. She was absolutely fascinating to talk to, and she had so much to share with me. I feel very fortunate that she was willing to talk to me not just about her experiences during the Holocaust, but her needs, her feelings about what JFS is doing, and even what she thinks about the world she lives in today. I am so grateful that I am allowed to share this time with the survivors, as it allows me an opportunity to remember why I am doing what I am doing, and that everything I do has an impact in the lives of these amazing people.